Leader of the main opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP), Mia Mottley says her party is ready for general elections and has called on Prime Minister Fruendel Stuart to announce the date .

In a strongly worded letter released to the media late Sunday, Mottley said the country is “crumbling and grinding to a halt as a result of your tardiness, indecisiveness and inertia.”

“While you refuse to set a date for elections, every artery in the country’s body is malfunctioning and many of our people are suffering as a consequence.”

The opposition leader noted that although the constitution permits the Prime Minister to remain in office for 90 days beyond the five year anniversary of the first sitting of parliament, the BLP is prepared for the polls.

“As leader of the Barbados Labour Party, I have acknowledged and respected your right, in law and only in law to extend the setting of the date for elections…we (the BLP) have been (ready) for several months now as you would expect a serious and credible institution of 80 years to be.”

According to Mottley – the BLP has in place the full slate of 30 candidates and this was finalised and communicated to the public over one year ago.

“I gather that even with a new candidate named for St. John, there still could be adjustments to your slate of 30. The point remains nonetheless, that I am ready and my party is ready. So, for us, an extra month can do no harm. It is our country Barbados that is hurting whilst you procrastinate.”

Mottley outlined several issues affecting the country including “sick buildings; mounting garbage and the Supreme Court shut down.”

“Prime Minister, our country is drifting and our people are suffering. Our institutions are reeling. Problems abound and you appear indifferent to the realities of the plight of our people. Our condition is just getting worse. I am not even minded to speculate now as to what these 90 days are all about. You and your Cabinet are not attempting to solve any problems”.

“I am asking you, in the name of all that is good and righteous, call the election and stop the bleeding. At this stage, what matters is not whether you or I emerge victorious, but that we stop the slide. That we breathe new life and hope into Barbados and Barbadians”.

The opposition leader said the average citizen “can make no sense of this inordinate delay”.

“They believe you are doing this only because you have the power to do so, as there is no other reasonable explanation, given the state of the country and that there is no attempt to solve anyone’s problems.Let us give our country a chance, let us get on with the business of fixing our country and allow our people to get on with their lives,” she said.

The Prime Minister recently defended his decision not to announce the date for a general election when his administration allowed Parliament to be dissolved automatically on March 6.

In the last general election of 2013, the ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP), won 16 of the 30 seats with the remainder going to the BLP.